For centuries, Julius Caesar has endured in our collective imagination as a favorite among historians and scholars, playwrights and poets. In legend he lives as the great conqueror of Rome's immense empire, a remarkable diplomat and writer, an unrivaled heartbreaker, and a man of relentless determination who met a seemingly tragic end.

Caesar examines the riveting story of a complex man within the context of the crisis of the Roman republic. Meier vividly reconstructs the distinctive features of this age by emphasizing the prevalent educational practices that imposed limitations on individual development. Meier clearly shows that Caesar early on established himself as a man whose unique drive, self-confidence, and detachment would bring him into continual conflict with established institutions.

What were the political and social forces that shaped and challenged this extraordinary individual? And how did this larger-than-life leader truly affect the fate of the Roman republic and the course of history? Internationally renowned historian Christian Meier explores these questions in the most authoritative and accessible account ot Julius Caesar's life, career, and legacy.

• History